Mental health assessment of young children in a managed care environment.

Developmental assessments, like all behavioral health services, have been subject to the influence of managed care. Although this influence may involve the unpleasant constraints of utilization management, motivated in part to reduce healthcare costs, managed care in fact encompasses a broader range of values and associated goals that often go unrecognized. This article examines key assumptions that underlie managed care and the implications for clinical practice in developmental assessment.